Airship



1,498,902 H. s. BELL AIRSHIP Filed Mg. 11, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 H. s; BELL June 24, 1924- AIRSHIP 3 Sh'eetS-Sheet 2 ms. W H S M 14 \m 12 1 1 .m

Filed Aug. 11 .1923

n-l ll June 24 1924. 1,498,902

H. S. BELL AIRSHIi? Filed Aug. 11, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 F 1 G 1- 20 an as as '22 IS 6 7 37 E5 24 v 38 45 1a 47 o D 47 s'ra'rss BELL, or snares-suns, sou'm canonma nmsm.

Application filed August 11, 1928. Serial No. 856,841.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY STAN'I'ON BELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Spartanburg, in thecounty of Spartanburg and State of South Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Airships; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to airsh ps, and aims to provide an-airshipcombining the airplane and helico ter principles of aviation, in order that t e airship can ascend and descend vertically and at different angles between horizontal and vertical lines.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel wing structure for an airship, which is capable of adjustment for ascent and descent, and which will also provide a parachute for retarded descent should the motive power fail.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the construction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes can bemade within the scopeof what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawin wherein- Figure 1 is a airsh1p.

Fig. 2 is a'plan view thereof, with a portion of the wing covering removed.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the airship with the wing in osition for horizontal or nearly horizontal ight.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation showing the wing parltiially bowed for ascent in an inclined P F i 5 is a side elevation showing the wing comp etel bowed for vertical ascent or descent, and to provide a parachute.

Fig. dis a detail view of the propeller v mountin The airship comprises a suitable carri e or body 10 havin suitable running or Ian ing ar' 11,.andi and orizontal rudders 12 and 13 at its rear end, with controls 14 and 15, res ectively, for said rudders to steer the airs ip horizontally and vertically in the well known manner.

ont view of the improved aving the hinged vertical The wing structure comprises a skeleton wing frame 16 mounted on the struts 17 which have their lower ends secured tothe body 10 and laterall extending spars 18 secured to the body. The airship is of monoplane type as shown, and the frame 16 is somewhat similar in construction to an ordinary wing frame, and has the forwardly and rearwardly extending ribs 19. The wingproper comprises resilient strips or 1 ribs 20 on which is secured a sheet or coverrearwardly along some of the ribs 19, and

means is provided for moving the bars 24 forwardly and rearwardly for adjusting the wing.

The bars 24 have the rack teeth 25 meshing with pinions 26 secured to short vertical shafts 27 journaled in bearings 28 secured to the corresponding struts 17, and the shafts 27 are connected with one another by means of sprocket chains 29, so that all of the pinions 26 rotate simultaneously for shifting the rear edge of the wing forwardly and rearwardl uniformly. A shaft 30 extending into the body 10 has a flexible or universal joint 31 with one of the shafts 27, in order that; the shaft 30 can be rotated from within the body 10 for adjusting the wing.

The airship is equipped with a pair of propellers 32. below the wing at opposite sides of the body, and said propellers are mounted for angular adjustment for both propulsion and elevation of the airship. The stub shafts 33 of the propellers are j ournaled for rotation in brackets 34 secured to the opposite ends of a pair of alining tubular shafts 35 which have their adjacent ends connected by a yoke 36, and the shafts 35 are journaled in bearings 37 supported by braces or brackets 38 attached to the wing frame 16 and corresponding front struts 17.

A worm segment 39 is secured to one shaft that the rotation of the worm 40 will turn the shafts 35 and brackets 34 to adjust the propellers angularly about the axis of the shafts 35.

A shaft 42 extends through the shafts 35 and the opposite ends thereof are connected with the propeller shafts 33 by means of the bevel gears 43, and the intermediate portion of the shaft 42 is journaled in a bracket or brace 44 across which the yoke 36 extends. A. sprocket wheel 45 is secured on the shaft 42 within a fork of the bracket 44 and is connected by a sprocket chain 46 with the engine or other motive power in the body 10,

whereby the propellers are driven in any osition of their shafts 33 and supporting lirackets 34.

Ailerons 47 are mounted for turning movement between the struts 17 at the opposite ends of the wing, in front and in rear, and the control wires or cables 48 are connected to said ailerons forchanging the anglcs thereof in the usual manner.

In addition to flight in the manner of an airplane, the present airship can ascend and descend as a helicopter, in order to avoid a running travel when taking oil and landing, requiring a large field or space. Thus, by

turning the shafts 35 to direct the shafts 33 and propellers downwardly, as seen in Fig. 5, the force of the propellers will lift the airship vertically, and ascent'and descent is controlled by the speed of the propellers. In this position of the propellers, the ailerons 47 are preferably tilted so as to be inclined toward one another or to converge upwardly, as seen in Fig. 5, and the wing is bowed upwardly, so as to lessen the resistance to the air in ascending. Furthermore, the wing and ailerons can be positioned in this manner, as shown in Fig. 5, in the event of engine trouble or failure of power, so that the wing provides a parachute to retard-the descent, assisted by the ailerons 47 which also catch the air and direct the same inwardly under the wing.

The airship can also ascend at an angle to the earths surface, in which event the shafts 33 are adjusted-to an inclined posiaaeaeoa tion, asseen in Fig. 4, whereby the propulsive force of the propellers will raise the airship as well as to move same forwardly. lin this position of the axes of the ropellers, the ailerons 47 are preferably bot li inclined forwardly, as seen -in Fig. 4, with the wing partially bowed upwardly.

During horizontal or nearly horizontal flight, the airship operates in the manner of an ordinary airplane, the wing being down on the frame 16, and the shafts 33 being substantially horizontal so that the propellers push the airship forwardl In the event that the airship drops suddenly, the air catching under the wing will bow the wing upwardly, the shaft 30 being released, so that the wing becomes a parachute to avoid the too rapid descent of the airship, and to enable the airship to land without damage.

During forward flight, the wing can be bowed to serve as a brake for retarding or arresting the movement of the airship.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. An airship comprising a frame, a flexible wing having one edge hingedly connected to the frame, slides movable alongthe frame and having rack teeth, the opposite edge of the wing being hingedly connected to said slides, and shafts mounted in the frame and having pinions engaging said teeth for moving the slides and bowing the HARRY STANTON BELL.

Witnesses:

J. A. PARRISH, Mrs. J. W. BELL. 

